There are strong fist halves … then there’s what Buffalo did to Jacksonville on Monday Night Football.
The Bills battered the Jaguars in embarrassing fashion as they took a 34-3 lead into halftime. In the process, they became just the third team to take a 30-plus point lead into halftime on Monday Night Football in the wild-card era (1990). The last team to do so was the Eagles in 2010.
Buffalo scored a touchdown on all five of its first-half possessions. It began with a 10-play, 70-yard drive in 5:26 that culminated in a James Cook touchdown. The rest of the scores all came courtesy of Josh Allen’s right arm.
Allen was terrific in the first-half, going 22-of-28 for 247 yards, four touchdowns and a 143 passer rating. He also carried the ball three times for an additional 22 yards.
The quarterback spread the ball around as he connected with nine different receivers. He also found four separate players for scores in Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson and Keon Coleman.
The defense also more than did it’s part as it held the Jaguars to just 70 yards of offense. The cherry on top was Damar Hamlin’s first career interception, which understandably sent the Bills Mafia into a frenzy.